Pannepøt Old Fisherman's Ale

Here is a beer that is not a Christmas, holiday, or anything seasonal brew. But it's probably the best Christmas, holiday or seasonal type brew I've ever had. This is Pannepøt Old Fisherman's Ale. The ø indicates it is the Danish version and the not the American imported version, and according to some people they have differences.

It's classified by BeerAdvocate as a quadrupel. 10% ABV. It pours a medium bodied clear dark brown with ruby highlights. Head dies down very fast. I think that may be a function of the chalice, because I never see a head last more than a minute in a chalice like this. The smell is at first just kinda like grape candy, the same smells I was getting from the Westvleteren 8 and 12. Pannepøt, however, also contains a nice bit of chocolate/lightly roasted malt character. The interplay between those and the sugary and fruity sweetness makes this a very tasty, fairly complex brew. Oh yeah, it's brewed with spices as indicated on the label and although I can't pick out any specific ones, they seem to be there too.

If they slapped some wreaths, Christmas trees, or elves on the label this might be the best Christmas ale around. It must just settle to be the best quadrupel around. 4.75/5